1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for winding a wire rod which is fed from a rolling mill along a predetermined path.
2. Related Art Statement
In the art of winding a wire rod which is run along a predetermined path from a rolling mill, a wire rod winder of a reel type, for example, is used. In the case where billets are efficiently rolled into wire rods at relatively short intervals, the successively produced wire rods are led to alternately or sequentially selected ones of plural stationary winders, along respective paths which lead to the stationary winders. More specifically, each of the wire rods from a rolling mill is first introduced into a branching or switching device which selects one of the plural wire paths that leads to the winder which is currently assigned to wind the wire rod. In this arrangement, the wire rod which is currently fed from the rolling mill is wound in the form of a coil by one of the plural winders, while the coil already wound by another winder is taken out so that this unloaded winder is able to wind a wire rod which will be fed thereto in the next winding cycle.